Recall.ai (screen recording): The API for meeting recording, transcription, and metadata extraction across all major platforms. Recall.ai provides an API that allows developers to integrate meeting recording, transcription, and metadata extraction capabilities into their own applications. It offers two primary methods for capturing meeting data: a Meeting Bot API and a Desktop Recording SDK. Key capabilities: Meeting Bot API for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack Huddles, GoTo Meeting, Desktop Recording SDK for Mac and Windows (virtual and in-person meetings), Real-time and async transcripts with 100% perfect speaker diarization, Real-time audio and video streams (participant-separated), MP4 recordings. Recall.ai is paid-only, with most plans including a trial period. Buyers most often compare Recall.ai against Fireflies.ai, tl;dv, Chorus by ZoomInfo.
TL;DR - Recall.ai
API for recording, transcribing, and extracting metadata from virtual and in-person meetings.
Offers both a Meeting Bot API and a Desktop Recording SDK for flexible recording methods.
Powers conversation intelligence tools by providing structured meeting data across major platforms.
Pricing: Paid only
Best for: Enterprises & pros
Pros & Cons
Pros
Significantly reduces engineering time for integrating meeting recording features
Unified API for all major meeting platforms, simplifying development
Provides comprehensive meeting data including transcripts, audio, video, and metadata
Built for enterprise scale and security with SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA compliance
Offers flexible recording options (bot-based or desktop SDK) to suit different use cases
Cons
Desktop Recording SDK requires user to notify others of recording, as there is no automatic indication
Meeting Bot API is slightly more expensive due to running on VMs compared to Desktop SDK
Mobile Recording SDK is currently listed as 'coming soon'
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
Meeting Bot API for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack Huddles, GoTo MeetingDesktop Recording SDK for Mac and Windows (virtual and in-person meetings)Real-time and async transcripts with 100% perfect speaker diarizationReal-time audio and video streams (participant-separated)MP4 recordingsExtraction of participant names, IDs, emails, and screenshare dataAbility to send and read chat messages in meetingsMeeting metadata (title, participants, events)
Recall.ai provides an API that allows developers to integrate meeting recording, transcription, and metadata extraction capabilities into their own applications. It offers two primary methods for capturing meeting data: a Meeting Bot API and a Desktop Recording SDK. The Meeting Bot API enables a bot to join virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to record and extract data, ideal for scenarios requiring explicit recording consent or building AI agents. The Desktop Recording SDK, on the other hand, allows for on-device recording from Mac or Windows computers without a bot, offering a more discreet recording experience, suitable for in-person meetings or when a bot is not desired.
This infrastructure is designed for developers and companies building conversation intelligence tools, AI notetakers, sales coaching platforms, and other applications that rely on meeting data. Recall.ai handles the complexities of integrating with various meeting platforms, managing infrastructure for concurrent recordings, and ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations. By abstracting away these challenges, it significantly reduces engineering time and resources required to build and maintain meeting recording functionalities, allowing product teams to focus on their core value proposition.
How does the Meeting Bot API handle recording consent and notification?
The Meeting Bot API allows for explicit recording consent by having a bot join the call. This bot can speak, display a recording icon, or send a message in the chat to inform participants that the meeting is being recorded.
What is the primary difference in user experience between the Meeting Bot API and the Desktop Recording SDK?
With the Meeting Bot API, a bot joins the call to perform the recording. In contrast, the Desktop Recording SDK requires the user to download a desktop application to record meetings directly from their computer, without a bot present in the call.
Can the Desktop Recording SDK record in-person meetings, in addition to virtual conferences?
Yes, the Desktop Recording SDK is designed to record both virtual meetings held on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, as well as in-person meetings by capturing audio and video directly from the user's Mac or Windows computer.
Does the Meeting Bot API support recording meetings on free plans of video conferencing platforms?
Yes, the Meeting Bot API works for users regardless of their plan type. It supports recording meetings even if users are on the free tier of platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams.
What specific data points can be retrieved through the unified API, beyond just transcripts and recordings?
The unified API provides over 100 pieces of meeting data, including participant names and IDs, real-time and async diarized transcripts, real-time audio and video streams, MP4 recordings, participant emails, screenshare data, chat messages (send and read), meeting metadata, and separate participant audio and video streams.
How does the Desktop Recording SDK ensure speaker names are included in transcripts?
The Desktop Recording SDK enriches the transcript with the names of all speakers. This is a key differentiator compared to native recording APIs, which typically do not provide speaker names.